21 June 2017

KABUL, June 20 (Xinhua) -- The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) is continuing to assist the Afghan returnees and displaced persons at a time when the country has been suffering from armed conflicts and economic woes, an official from the aid agency has said.

"The UNHCR remains committed and engaged in providing the assistance needed, including protection assistance as well as non-food and food assistance, as a humanitarian agency, for the displaced population, as well as returnees," UNHCR spokesman Nadir Farhad told Xinhua in a recent interview.

Against the backdrop of the World Refugee Day which falls on June 20, Farhad noted that the long-term solution to the Afghan Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) and refugees' life had been directly linked to the overall level of stability, peace and harmony in Afghanistan.

"There is no doubt that more stability, peace and tranquility in Afghanistan will provide the situation for more people to come back to their country, for more people to be absorbed back into their communities and more ground will be paved for them to facilitate the sustainable reintegration back into their community," he said on Monday.

More than 1.1 million people have been displaced by the conflict over the past 16 years in Afghanistan, including more than 600,000 people in 2016, according to official statistics.